Anything You Want
by iChocoLove
Summary: The master sat up, allowing his spider-like fingers to interlock again. For the first time this conversation, he started to show a little interest. “Anything? That is a dangerous move to make – are you sure about what you are saying?”
1. Prologue

**This is only a prologue. xD The next chapter will be out soon! –coughs- Hopefully. **

**Btw, there will be slow updates, because school has started, and I'm dying from homework already. D:! It sucks, having two accelerated classes. But then again, I have two home-ec classes too, so I guess it evens out.**

**Anyways, I've been trying to add more descriptions into my fics – tell me how it is! :D**

**-coughs- Back to the fic! :D**

In the heart of night, the moon shined eerily through the dense fog, sending a pale yellow light spilling over the rooftops.

Inside one of the houses bordering the driveway, in a darkened room, illuminated only by the sparks the crackling fire emitted, two figures were seated in armchairs. They were facing the fireplace, the glow from the fire barely allowing the features of their faces show.

One was sitting on the edge of their seat in a very formal position while the other leaned back into the plush cushion of his chair, seeming entirely relaxed.

The two sat in a silence, neither speaking to one another. The bulkier man was still in a tense position, his eyes focused on the ancient clock ticking away the seconds on the mantel.

Finally, the slimmer figure sat up a little, his fingers interlocked. "I'm supposing you brought me here for a reason." It wasn't a question – it was a statement.

"Yes. I desire that power – I need it." The larger person clenched his gloved fist, turning his head a little to pierce his companion's impassive eyes with his own cold ones.

"And you want me to help," the other drawled, letting his chin delicately rest on the palm of his hand, his emotionless eyes half-lidded.

"Please master – if you can help me gain this power, I will do anything for you."

The master sat up, allowing his spider-like fingers to interlock again. For the first time this conversation, he started to show a little interest. "Anything? That is a dangerous move to make – are you sure about what you are saying?"

He dipped his head a little. "Anything within my power."

The spindly man gave a little half-grin that did not touch his eyes. "Well, my good minion, I will make a deal with you since you desire your power so much."

His head shot back up, his once blank eyes filled with surprise. "Really master?"

"Of course," he murmured, the mocking grin still on his lips.

The large man dropped his head once again to show his gratitude. "What is this 'deal' you speak of, then?"

The other gave a little motion, signalling him to come closer. "Lean in, and I'll tell you …"

_**YOU MUST READ THIS PART.**_

…**And that's the end of it. xD**

**Sorry the prologue is so short. D:**

**Anyways, this is supposed to be the sequel to ADA. There'll be a long explanation the next chapter about how this is supposed to be, but it's rather different. It's kinda confusing, I guess, but you'll see. xD There'll be a lot of changes.**

**For those of you who haven't read ADA, don't worry – you don't really have to know what happened in the other fic. I think.**


	2. And so, it starts

_**YOU MUST READ THIS.**_

**-Coughs- Sorry for not posting this up earlier. xD I have a couple of notes I have to make before I begin though … I highly suggest you read it.**

**I know in the first fic, Aritia was dead. However, this fic it isn't. So, basically, this fic isn't really a sequel. xD Bear with me!**

**Just count this as the sequel to ADA, okay? xD I'm so sorry about the changes – it's just easier for me to work with – I'm still a very amateur-ish author! D:!**

**Another thing – yes, I will get to the actually to the actual writing soon – is that I might have some flashbacks from the original, so … yeah. xD Might.**

**Also, from the reviews I got after my prologue, I tried improving my descriptions a bit. Tell me how that went! :D**

**Also, this has undergone a name change – before it was Drained, now it's Anything You Want. :D I just didn't have enough space to write that in the summary.**

**I'm finally done my … lecture. xD You can go read now. :3**

Aritia was a flourishing country. The population was united under a strong-willed and kind ruler. Surprisingly, this ruler was no older than twenty-five years old – possibly even younger.

This crown prince could often be found in his spotless study, poring over stacks of paper after stacks of paper.

One particular day, the prince had fallen asleep amid the towering piles of cream-colored paper. His oddly coloured bangs covered his cerulean eyes, his breaths slow and even. Suddenly – much to the prince's annoyance – someone had started to rap on his wooden door, immediately disturbing his much needed sleep.

The youth straightened his tiara and fixed his clothes a little before calling out, "Come in!"

The door slid open soundlessly, allowing a blue-haired girl to walk in. She was holding several envelopes, each fancier than the last.

The Aritian prince smiled in greeting. "Hello, Sheeda. More letters?"

Sheeda grimaced, handing her friend the stack of letters. "Unfortunately, yes. Looks like most of them are from the other rulers. Peace treaties, other things like that." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you have to deal with all this all at once! You've been working yourself too hard recently, Marth."

Marth leaned back in his chair, his bangs falling gracefully over his eyes. "Nonsense. Plus, I have to do this someday anyways, so why not now?"

Marth's companion let out a huff, folding her arms across her chest. "That's not the point! Shouldn't you be getting some rest sometimes? You've barely gotten any sleep the past few days!"

"It's my duty," he said simply, picking up a letter with all sorts of fancy designs printed on it. Marth brushed his bangs back irritably.

"Look," Sheeda gestured towards the window, "Even Roy's doing something else apart from work all the time!" The aforementioned redhead was letting himself get beat up by some over-excited toddlers.

Marth raised an eyebrow, his eyes never leaving the letter in front of him. "Roy's not a prince, and he hardly ever has work to do."

The Talisian princess stomped angrily on the floor. "You're not catching the point, Marth. I'm telling you as a friend to get some rest!"

Marth waved a hand at her. "Some other day." He picked up yet another letter, one smaller and much simpler than the last few, and slit it open with a small knife.

She frowned, but said no more about the subject. She noticed the envelope that her friend was holding and tilted her head, puzzled.

"Hey, Marth, don't tell me that's an invitation to that competition you went to a couple years ago …"

Marth tossed the letter onto his unnaturally smooth desk and reached for the next. "Yes, but I'm not going."

Sheeda frowned again, picking up the discarded piece of paper. She glanced down at the small text.

_Dear Sir or Madam,_

_You have been invited to the fourth annual Smash Bros tournament. Participating in this contest will allow you to meet many people across the galaxy and test your fighting skills against each other. The tournament will last several months, and the winner will receive a trophy, a large sum of money and of course, fame across the entire Nintendo universe._

_All participants are to arrive on September the 1__st__. The actual tournament will begin in October – this extra month is for participants to settle in and familiarize themselves with the mansion. We look forward to seeing you there._

_From,_

_Master Hand. _(Here, a large amount of scribbles formed together to make the words: _Crazy Hand too!_)

While Sheeda was reading the invitation, the prince had grabbed another small envelope. On the cover, written in small cursive, were the words '_To Marth.'_ The recipient of the letter smiled, recognizing the writing. He slit the envelope open neatly.

_Dear Marth,_

_Sorry about the slow reply – I didn't receive your letter until recently, for some reason. I guess my 'mail-portal' has been acting up - I should really get a new one. Anyways, how are things in Aritia? Still as busy as ever?_

_On a different note, have you received the letter from Master Hand? Both Link and I have received it, and we're both going, of course. I'm hoping you are too – it should be a nice break from all that ruling!_

_Uh oh – I had better go, I have another meeting with the council coming up very soon, then a huge dinner party to attend. I hope to hear from you soon!_

_Love,_

_Zelda_

Marth's heart skipped a beat once he read the way Zelda had signed the letter. _Love._ Not 'from.' Not 'sincerely,' the way royals were supposed to sign letters.

"Hey Marth." Sheeda's voice broke through his trance, bringing the prince back to Earth. Marth jerked his head upwards to see his friend's cerulean eyes glaring at him. "You are going -" she waved the letter in his face, "– because I'm forcing you."

The Aritian prince gestured weakly at the mountains of paper. "But …"

"No buts," she said sternly, "I'll do it for you. Don't worry," she added, noticing the look on Marth's face, "I'm a princess. I know what to do."

He stared at her uncertainly. "Are you sure? There is a lot of work …"

Sheeda gave an unprincess-like snort. "Of course I am. I've done this before!"

Marth's effeminate face broke into a grin. "Thanks Sheeda. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork I want to finish before I leave," he told her, shooing her out of the room. The princess gave a quick thumbs-up and a fleeting smile before the door was closed in front of her.

After a few minutes in his silent room, Marth twirled his quill around in a couple of circles and began to write on a new sheet of parchment.

* * *

Zelda sat in a wooden chair, her chin resting delicately on her gloved hand. She was staring out the window of her large room, taking in the familiar scenery. She watched as old ladies gossiped to each other; the young children running around the market, always underfoot and the vendors who yelled out indistinct words.

_I hope he's going,_ she thought, _It'd be nice to finally be able to hear his voice again … I miss him so much! _The princess was smiling dreamily, her cerulean eyes no longer seeing the market outside the window.

There were a couple raps on the door, startling Zelda out of her reverie. "Ah … Come in!" she called. At her call, one of her servants walked obediently. The servant curtsied, half-murmuring, "Good afternoon, princess Zelda." She handed Zelda single letter and curtsied again.

Zelda smiled lightly. "Thank you," she said in a soft melodic voice, "You may leave."

The servant curtsied once more and backed out of the room, noiselessly shutting the door behind her.

The elfin princess eagerly – but still carefully – ripped the envelope open, revealing a sheet of coarse paper. She flipped it open and smoothed it out on the windowsill she was previously leaning on.

_Dear Zelda,_

_It's good to hear from you again. I originally thought you had forgotten about me!_

_As a matter of fact, yes, things are, as some of the younger people would put it, 'crazy' here. The pile of work seems to be only getting bigger every day! I'm hoping you're fine in Hyrule? But then again, you don't seem to have so much work._

_I'm glad to hear that you are also going to the competition. My friend, Sheeda (I told you about her, haven't I?) convinced me that she is capable of taking care of the work in Aritia and that I should go. _

_See you in a couple of days!_

_- Marth_

Zelda smiled, folding the letter neatly. Convincing her father to allow her to go to the tournament wasn't very hard – the only condition he had was that Link had to go with her. Link had quite a reputation as the Hero of Time, and her father thought that she needed a "guard" of sorts to protect her once she was there.

She put the letter aside and turned to her gigantic closet, letting out a sigh. It was time to pack her numerous belongings.

* * *

The green clad hero wandered down the streets of Hyrule, occasionally placing a couple rupees in the dirt covered hands of children (after all, rupees did accumulate rapidly when one is out to save the world). People often called out to him, recognizing their Hero of Time. He'd smile and wave back.

Eventually, Link headed towards the Hyrulian palace. He nodded to the guards as they let him pass – being a regular visitor, none of the guards ever challenged him anymore.

Link treaded on the familiar red carpeted hallway that led to the chambers, taking exceptional note of the immaculately threaded design. He suddenly spun on his heel and walked down the hallway to the right, his eyes never leaving the design on the carpet. Soon, he ended up in front of a wooden door. Only then did he lift his eyes up. His left hand rose at the same time, and he knocked sharply on the wood, once, twice, three times.

"Come in," a soft voice called from inside.

The hero turned the cold metallic doorknob and entered Zelda's room. Once inside, Link blinked, momentarily in shock. The usually spotless room looked like Ganon had ripped the room apart. Clothes lay in a mess on the bed, the closet doors were swung wide and paper littered the ground like leaves. In the middle of the mess, a frazzled looking Zelda was stuffing clothes into her already bursting suitcase.

"Uhhh …" Link asked, puzzled.

Zelda looked up and gave him a small smile. "I've never realized how many belongings I have until now." With that said, she looked back down at her luggage and frowned.

Link's mouth twitched as he squatted down next to Zelda. "Come on, slowpoke," he teased, "we have a portal to catch."

The princess finally snapped her suitcase shut and gave a sigh of relief. She then turned and gave Link a small shove, making him fall onto his buttocks. "Then, let's go and 'catch' that portal."

Zelda stood up and left the room, leaving Link to follow her with her "bursting-at-seams" suitcase.

**Sorry if Sheeda seems a bit OOC. I'm just not that sure of how she acts, considering the fact that I don't play Fire Emblem. xD And I'm sorry about any facts or anything like that that I got wrong. D: I don't really know all that much, and I'm a bum so I didn't search it up on Wiki. **

**This is just an introduction-ish thing – I'm so sorry if it was boring! D: It'll get better, don't worry. xD I'M SO SORRRY!!! DDD: -bows down-**

**You don't know how many times I had to rewrite this chapter to get it satisfactory. xD I've been beating myself up over this. D: (Which explains why I haven't updated for so long … -squints- I'm really really really sorry for that too! D:)**


	3. Villains Never Die

… **-has nothing to say- **

**OH. NO. Wait – for those people out there who have read the Wayfarer Redemption and the Axis trilogy, I've recently finished reading them and there might be a couple references from it. xD Thought I'd let you know. :3**

Zelda stepped into the shimmering blue portal, screwing her eyes tight against the power of the wind. A second later, the pressure stopped. She tentatively opened one eye, then recognizing the mess hall from the mansion, she let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. There was a _whoosh_ behind her and Link appeared, slightly more composed than the princess.

Zelda turned around sheepishly, wondering if Link was aware of her 'unfondness' of the portal. She was met with a big goofy grin on Link's face. Apparently, he was.

"I'll never get used to those portals," she offered as an excuse. Her companion only shook his head, goofy grin still plastered on his face as he headed towards the exit, suitcase in tow. The Hyrulian let out a huff, then quickly set off after her friend.

- -

"Welcome to the 4th annual Smash Bros tournament!" Master Hand's voice boomed across the room, "Since all of you here have been to one Smash Bros tournament or another, I won't bother explaining the way this works. I'm going to go over the rules again …"

- -

Next to him, Ike stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I thought he'd never let us out! 'Don't forget, you must, never, ever, fight outside of the arena!'" Ike mimicked.

Marth smiled lightly. "Though you do have to admit, most people seem to need the constant reminding, judging by the number of ties they break the rules."

"What're you – hey!" Ike cried, as his companion ignored his half-formed retort and proceeded to brush past him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Zelda!" Marth called out, waving a hand at the princess. She turned around, a smile lighting up her eyes.

"Marth!" she exclaimed. "It's been quite a while since I've last seen you." They quickly exchanged a hug, then stepped back from each other.

Marth looked around at the small group, then said, "I believe we have some catching up to do."

- -

"So then, I was trapped in wolf form …" Link was telling the four about his saving Hyrule from Twilight. Marth and Ike were enraptured in his tale – neither of them had much excitement over the past year, and were glad to at least hear of something slightly less monotonous than their lives at home. Zelda, on the other hand, had actually taken a part in this adventure, and was not nearly as delighted as the other two.

Slightly bored, the princess analyzed her companions. She smiled slightly, noting that Link was quite talkative when he talked about an adventure of his, considering the fact he usually barely ever talked. Ike was slouched on the couch, his mouth slightly agape, while Marth was still sitting up with his back straight. He was incredibly attentive, though, and Zelda knew he was as thrilled with the story as Ike and Link were.

Zelda sighed and turned her head around. Her eyes trailed across the room lazily. All of the sudden, she sat upright, her eyes alert.

"Link!"

"One sec Zel -"

"No, Link, look!" The urgency in her voice caused Link to jerk his head up from his storytelling. His head swivelled around.

"What is – Oh."

"Exactly!" Zelda hissed. "Why is _he _back?!"

"Who?" Ike questioned, looking around the room.

"Ganondorf!" Link spat the name out, his eyes narrowing. "I'm sure I killed him last year!"

"You know what they say – the villains never die," Marth remarked.

"Well, all we can do now is just watch and see," Ike commented, leaning back against the couch.

"I guess so," Zelda answered, still unsatisfied with that answer.

Ganondorf glanced over at the group, then turned around and walked up the stairs to the dormitories.

- -

A beeping noise broke the silence in the dark room. Long skinny fingers reached out and pressed a button on an electrical device.

"So?"

"Everyone's assembled," the person on the other end replied.

"Good. Send them out."

"Got it." The connection was cut off, then the room was silent once more.

**Geh. I'm not too satisfied with this chapter. **

**Honest – the action will start sooooooooon! –cries-**

**Sorry about the slowness of updating and the shortness of the chapter. D:**


	4. Skraelings

**Yea, sorry about the uhh … hiatus sort of thing. o_o"**

**There'll be something coming up in this chappie that's from the Wayfarer Redemption, for those of you who've read it before. :D Just a heads up.**

**DISCLAIMER THING: I don't own Brawl or the Wayfarer Redemption, so don't sue me. D:**

Link was still talking animatedly and was nearing the end of his tale. Somehow, Marth and Ike were still completely enraptured by it.

"So he came charging at me -"

Zelda sighed. Long nails tapped against a wooden surface nearby.

"He was just lying there, so I ran up to him and stabbed my sword right through -"

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter as the door swung open to reveal a panicky Fox. The room became unnaturally silent. "They're … everywhere …" he half-whispered between pants.

"What are, Fox?" Ike asked, standing up slowly.

"Outside … help." The fox suddenly keeled over and met the floor with a thud. Everyone then could see the ghastly wound on his back. It dug deep and the unnatural white of bone gleamed against the mess of fur, flesh and blood. It was as if cruel claws had ripped his back apart.

Just as suddenly as the room became silent, it exploded into an uproar.

"What happened?!"

"That wound -"

"Is he dead?"

"GUYS!" a voice yelled over the din. Once again, everyone present became silent. "Shouldn't we be heading outside right now? Fox told us with his last breath that they are outside! We can't just stay here and ask questions all day!" the owner of the voice, Marth, said in his best authoritative voice. "We have to pick up our weapons and go!"

The room once more erupted into chaos as each Smasher complied, reached for their weapon and rushed out the room to face an unknown danger.

Just as Marth turned to follow the others, Zelda appeared beside him. "I'm proud of you." She smiled, then also ran towards the exit.

The prince stared after her confusedly.

* * *

Once outside, Ike immediately spotted the problem. There were only a few of his fellow Smashers fighting desperately for their lives against a hundred or maybe more monsters. Captain Falcon was swinging his flaming fists around in random directions; Ness and Lucas were fighting side by side, hands and feet glinting with power; Donkey Kong was rampaging around and crushing skulls with furious fists and feet. However, no matter how many times they attacked, the monsters would keep reviving.

Ike let out a war cry and ran into the fray. He jabbed at a transparent skull that was creeping up behind Captain Falcon. The mercenary expertly swung Ragnell this way and that, felling even more of the enemies.

Suddenly, he swung around to come face to face with a monster. It was even more repulsive up close – its entire body was transparent, giving off a deceiving aura of fragility; its eyes were round, huge and glistening; its mouth in a scowl with saliva dripping down. It reached for Ike with lethal claws. He quickly gathered his strength and dealt a mortal blow, expecting it to fall and die. Instead, it simply hissed and leapt out him. In desperation, Ike stabbed at one of its gigantic eyes. Surprisingly, it stopped, then slipped off the end of Ragnell (leaving some rather unappealing looking goop behind) and fell to the ground, transforming into a large grey Play-Do like substance.

Ike stared at it for a split second as it slowly disappeared, then howled at the sky, "It's the eyes! Attack the eyes!"

Once the Smashers took that piece of information in, the tides began to turn. The monsters were being forced back as more and more of them died. Finally, the last few gave one last snarl back at the Smashers and fled into the woods.

An eerie silence descended over the battlefield.

Ike stared after the retreating backs of the transparent monsters, then whispered, "We did it." All of the sudden, he yelled, "We did it!" The others too, broke out of their trance and started yelling into the air.

* * *

"The casualties?" Pit asked as he bandaged Ike's arm. The angel had not been harmed at all, as he had been in the air the whole time, raining arrows down with deadly precision.

Ike frowned. "I think we have two dead including Fox, and quite a few fatal injuries. Quite a few Pikmin dead, too," Ike added with a weak smile.

"Who's the other one who's dead?"

"It was Wario," Marth answered.

Zelda sighed as she tried to heal people as best as she could with her magical capacities. "I wonder what those things were. I've never seen them before."

A silence descended on the group. Half a minute later, Link spoke up. "I think I might know what they are, actually."

"Seriously?" Pit stared at the hero, his mouth agape.

"It's just a hunch though."

"Well then, let's hear it."

"Weell … a couple years ago, I heard from an old man that in a fairytale they used to tell, there were nasty wraith like creatures. They were completely transparent and are pretty much invincible apart from their only weak point – their eyes. It's kinda like Achilles' heel, really."

"Could'a told us earlier," Ike muttered under his breath.

"I wasn't thinking then!" Link said defensively. "Anyways, moving on."

"They're incredibly dangerous – they bite. Really, really hard. If you think about it, they're like zombies."

"Go on without the similes, will ya?" Captain Falcon piped up from a bed nearby. "Not a man of great education here."

Link coughed. "Anyways, you're pretty much dead if you get caught by one of them. Oh, and apparently, right before they appear, the wind whispers or something. They're called Skraelings, I think."

"Why?!" Falco snarled from some other bed.

The Hero of Time looked bewildered. "I'm not really sure as to why they're called Skrael -"

"NO!" Falco glared at Link. "I meant, why'd they attack?"

"Oh, I don't know," a new voice spoke up. The group swivelled their necks around to see Ganondorf in the doorway. "They just _might_ have come here based on someone's orders …"

"You ordered them here?!" Zelda hissed.

"No, princess." He smirked. "No – I mean, if I was involved, I wouldn't have told you that, now, would I?"

The princess only stared.

"Well, I came here to see out of the kindness of my heart how my lovely companions are faring. But obviously, you don't want my presence here, so I shall be taking my leave." Ganondorf spun around, his cape swishing behind him as he stalked out of the room.

"He's somehow involved, I just know it!" Link snarled, years of hatred fuelling his fury.

"We know, we know." Zelda sighed.

**I think I got some of the terms weird, like "the sides began to switch." D: I don't know – I have this sudden memory loss. O_o" Sorry. EDIT: Thanks Negi Atsui for telling me the correct term(s). :D It's all edited now!  
**

**REVIEW PLEASE! :DDDD**


	5. Let's Get this Going

**YES, another update! –dances-**

**Summer's almost over. –cries- I really really don't look forward to having to get up at 7:40 again. Bah humbug. **

Even after a few days of silent recovery, the Dining Hall was still eerily quiet. Many were in the hospital section recovering from serious injuries, and the few who weren't nearly as hurt and were actually present in the Hall were still recovering from the shock.

Marth watched as Link first stabbed the peas with his fork, then swirl the soup so furiously that the liquid flew from the bowl and onto the white tablecloth, and then proceed to squish the mashed potatoes.

As Link continued massacring his dinner, Marth tentatively said, "Um, Link …?"

The elf continued to glower at his food.

When Marth was about to give up on receiving a reply, Link finally hissed, "It has to be Ganondorf."

"Sorry?"

"_It has to be Ganondorf!_" Link yelled, slamming his fist onto the table, causing the last of the soup in his bowl to splash out.

Marth, Ike and Pit jumped, then looked around to see everyone present staring at Link. When all the stares were turned away, the trio dragged the very upset elf out of the Dining Hall and into the living room. Once they were all seated in their favourite chairs, Marth motioned Link to continue.

"Master Hand insists that Ganondorf be allowed to participate in the tournament to show how unprejudiced he is. But no matter what, Ganondorf is still a git. He wasn't even there to help us get rid of the Skraelings! Even Bowser was there!" Link said.

"We can't jump to conclusions, Link. There could be a very good reason why he wasn't there," Marth countered.

Link narrowed his eyes at the prince. "And I say his reason is that he was the one who ordered the Skraelings here."

An uncomfortable silence ensued.

"Don't tell me that you don't believe that the git isn't involved. He literally confessed it himself!"

"But, Ganondorf did have a point earlier," Pit reasoned. "Why would he have told us that he was the one behind the attack?"

As the elf snarled his response, Marth lowered his face into his hands. Why _would _the Gerudo tell them that he was the one who caused the attack, if he in fact did cause it? There has to be more to this. Ganondorf is cunning and careful enough to not accidentally let slip something as important as that.

"Why don't you first calm down?" Ike's voice broke Marth's train of thought. "Then after that, we can go and see Zelda and ask her her opinion."

* * *

Zelda was helping Peach in the hospital section by using her magic as much as she could to heal the others without harming herself in the process.

The princess stretched her aching back and wiped the sweat on her forehead. As she turned to leave a sleeping Falco's bedside, she came face to face with Peach.

Peach was not in the best of conditions. Bandages covered bite marks and long angry scratches that covered her entire body and her face was pale and drawn.

"Peach!" Zelda took in her friend's wasted appearance with worried eyes. "Honestly, I can get rid of those injuries –"

"For the final time, Zellie, I'll be fine." The blonde princess shook her head. "Actually, I came to get you. There are people lining up outside to see your lovely face." She offered a weak smile and pushed the other royal towards the door. "Now, shoo!"

Once Zelda got to the door, she opened it to see four intensely frowning men. Really, it was quite strange that they were all frowning so, considering the fact that none of them had an injury that a painkiller can't handle. "Ummm, are you in need of some more Tylenol …?"

Marth shook his head. "No. Actually, our friend here," he glanced over at the still fuming Link, "has a prediction that we would like you to hear."

* * *

Ganondorf leaned in closer to the security monitor. After a few minutes of careful observation, his mouth twisted into a shape that somewhat resembled a smile as he pressed a couple buttons. The screen in front of the Gerudo buzzed into life as a shadowed face appeared.

"Good news, master," Ganondorf said, the smug grin still on his face. "Link and his little pets seem to think that I'm the one in charge of the attack." He leaned back in his chair and put his large booted feet on the desk.

"Good …" the figure muttered. "But of course, they aren't _completely_ wrong."

"Yes. However, things are still going as planned."

"Not quite. I knew that they have to be the strongest of the strong to be invited to the competition, but I never expected that only two would die from the attack."

"Master, if we have to, we can take them all down one by one."

The man chuckled. It wasn't your typical merry chuckle, but rather one laced with sarcasm. "Yes, of course."

Ganondorf frowned. "I don't have much time, master. Just say the word, and I shall be off to prepare."

"Ah, yes." His mouth curled up into a cruel smile. "You may begin."

"Yes, master."

As his master's face disappeared from the screen, Ganondorf slipped out of the room as discreetly as he had come in.

* * *

Pit drifted lazily around the mansion, enjoying the feel of the cool wind. He had left the living room as he'd had enough of the pondering and predicting and little freak-out attacks from Link.

As he flipped over to glide on his back, the angel caught a slight whispering sound. He flipped back and looked around, but as nothing seemed to be wrong, he brushed it off as his imagination.

However, only half a minute later, the same whispering sound was carried by the wind. Frowning, he stared hard at the forest. Only then did he remember Link's words:

"_Anyways, you're pretty much dead if you get caught by one of them. Oh, and apparently, right before they appear, the wind whispers or something._ _They're called Skraelings, I think."_

Oh crap.

Pit zoomed in through the front doors, screaming warnings. Smashers flooded into the hallway, shouting inquiries at the angel, when Peach, uncharacteristically for a usually gentle princess, pushed her way to the front and asked, "Are you sure they're back? I mean, that's too soon!"

"There is no 'too soon', Peach," Pit answered. "Link said that right before they appear, the wind whispers. And I just heard that whisper. Twice."

Peach, if possible, paled even more.

The angel shot one last glance at Peach as he raced down the hallway yelling at those who were not too badly injured to pick up their weapons and head out to fend off the Skraelings.

* * *

Marth and Link raced towards the main doors with Ike right on their heels. Once they reached the exit, they stopped to take in the situation. Despite the fact that several Smashers were bravely fighting against the sea of monsters, it was quite clear to the three swordsmen that they were quite outnumbered.

"Well then, shall we?" Marth said quietly, drawing his sword in preparation.

Ike smirked as he rolled his shoulders and then drew his blade as Link did the same.

"Let's get this going."

**Please review la~ 8D**


	6. Don't Let Him Die

**I'm actually thinking about changing the genre from romance to tragedy. O_o Or action or something. I think that might be a bit more fitting.**

**Fast updates are nice, aren't they? XD**

"HYAAAAAAAH!"

Link swung his sword around in a circle, blowing all the large-eyed Skraelings away from him temporarily. He brushed away the sweat that had started dripping into his eyes in the few precious seconds that he had before more of the transparent creatures came at him again.

All this fighting was useless though, and Link knew it. No matter how many of the horrid monsters lay on the ground from their efforts, more kept coming to stand in their former companion's spot. There was no way that the Smashers could all keep this up. The elf was already starting to tire – his breaths were coming out in short gasps and his sweat drenched his body.

As Link stabbed his sword into an eye, he heard a terribly familiar scream nearby. By this point, he was already in a state of deliriousness. As he turned to aid the person who had screamed, a Skraeling reached out and dug its claws deep into his back.

He wasn't sure whether or not he was the one who had screamed that horrible bloodcurdling scream or not, but he was sure of one thing when he fell face first into the bloodied grass.

Just before Link blacked out, he thought, _"This is the end."_

* * *

Ganondorf frowned as he waited for his master to respond on the other end. Something was going terribly wrong for him.

As soon as the shadowed face appeared on the screen, the Gerudo said, "Master, we need to stop this battle right –"

"Yes, yes," said the person impatiently. "The Hero of Time has been injured severely."

"That is why we need to end this battle right now! Just in case you have forgotten already, we need Link," Ganondorf spat out the name, "to complete my end of the deal!"

"Alright. That's too bad though. I wanted to play just a little while longer." The figure smiled that cruel smile as the screen blinked out.

"Dammit," Ganondorf snarled to the empty room, "Don't let Link die!"

* * *

Suddenly, all the Skraelings stopped attacking. Marth stared, bewildered, as the entire pack of monsters moved back towards the forest.

The prince felt Ike start to move forward. He put an arm in front of his companion. "Don't. Leave them be. First, we need to help the wounded."

Ike stared at Marth, then nodded. "Let's get them into the mansion as soon as possible."

* * *

Pit soared over the tattered field where the battle took place. His eyebrows knitted together as he replayed the conversation from earlier.

_Marth paced back and forth, his frustration evident on his face. Zelda chewed her lip while Ike simply leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest._

"_Where is that elf?!" Marth finally said, breaking the silence._

"_He wasn't among the injured, but he's not here right now," Ike said, uncrossing his arms. "He's probably still outside."_

"_Why though? We've already gotten all the injured inside, so there's no reason for him to be outside right now." Zelda continued chewing her lip after her contribution to the conversation._

_Pit stretched out his wings. "Why don't I go look for Link then? I mean, it should be easier for me, since I've got wings and everything …"_

_Marth looked over at the angel. "That would be helpful."_

Pit had been outside searching for the elf for half an hour now. He cursed Link's preference of wearing green all the time, as now the fact that the elf's tunic was green was not helpful at all, considering the fact that he was trying to find that green among the green of the grass. Desperate, he decided to land and try to search for some sort of clue of where Link went.

As the angel ran around, calling Link's name, he slipped on something. Pit saved himself an undignified face-plant into the ground by lifting himself into the air. He looked back to investigate the reason of his slip.

Something tattered and covered by blood lay on the ground. Pit picked it up and gasped. _"There's no way … That's Link's hat!"_ he thought.

Pit felt his blood run cold. Even more desperately now, he screamed Link's name, hoping that he would find the elf intact and alive. Once he took a few steps, the angel tripped, this time failing to save himself from the embarrassment.

As he turned his head, Pit realized that his foot was in something's face. He retracted his foot quickly, to further astonish himself by figuring out that his foot was in a barely recognizable Link's face.

Link was in a horrid state. His clothes were ripped in several parts, blood and muck covered his entire body. His eyes were wide open and glassy, and his mouth was open as if he was mouthing the word "ah."

Pit panicked. He put the elf's mangled arm around his neck and dragged him towards the mansion, screaming for help, hoping that somehow, his friend would survive.

* * *

"Zelda?" Marth said quietly. "Is Link going to be … okay after this?"

"Assuming he survives," Ike said from his corner.

"I don't know." Zelda's voice broke. "I really don't know." She shivered.

Marth wrapped Zelda in his arms, silently comforting the princess as he looked over her shoulder at the seemingly lifeless body that was Link.

Earlier, after Pit and several others dragged the limp elf into the room, Marth checked Link's pulse. It was very faint, but it was there.

To be honest, there should've been no way that Link could've survived. Judging by the depth of the injury and the amount of blood he lost, he should've been long dead. However, by some miracle reason, he was still clinging onto life.

After a few minutes, Ganondorf had stalked in, demanding to know whether or not the elf was still alive. He had seemed genuinely worried, but there was no way that the worry was for the wellbeing of Link. Most likely, it was because he didn't want the elf to die before the Gerudo got his hands on the Triforce, the git.

Zelda broke down once she saw the battered body. She and Link had been best friends for several years now, and it hurt her to see him on the brink of death like that. If he died, Marth knew, Zelda would probably become a walking corpse. Marth also knew that if he didn't go into that apathetic condition if Link dies, he definitely would if he lost Zelda like that.

As he held the silently crying Zelda in his arms, Marth hoped feverishly that Link won't die.

**Yaaaay! Another chapter! 8DDD **

**Please review! :3**


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